Thanks to all for the insight!
Originally Posted by
KDS777
The Sunshine Coast is really beautiful and the traffic thru YVR isn't really that bad. I've driven thru Portland at rush hour many a time, and think you'll be fine.
Getting through Georgia Street from YVR on our way to Horseshoe Bay took ages (three lights to get through a single block) and on the way back, merging onto 99 from Marine Drive in West Vancouver was excruciating. It's not enough to make us not consider going back to the Sunshine Coast but I still shudder when I think about it.
Originally Posted by
gglave
Unlike the west coast of Vancouver Island (where Tofino is), have a look at the East Coast of the Island. There are some beautiful beaches on the Island -
- Rathtrevor Beach (Parksville)
- Williams Beach (Comox)
- Miracle Beach (Comox)
...and it's much warmer, both on land and in the sea. Ocean isn't Hawaii temps, but [unlike Tofino] you can certainly swim in it.
If you want to go a bit further afield, take a look at Hornby Island - Accessible from the Comox Valley
I am liking the idea of heading to the east coast of Vancouver Island as it is obviously a lot less travel time than going all the way to Tofino. I'll start looking at some of those spots you've mentioned. As for Hornby Island, my only worry is that for a four or five day trip, we might run out of things to do. While on the Sunshine Coast, we were able to balance downtime in our rented accommodation versus various activities, such as swimming at Ruby Lake and Katherine Lake and seeing the Skookumchuck Narrows.
Originally Posted by
Finkface
Except, as gglave said, swimming. It is spectacularly beautiful and tons of hikes and the weather will be great in the summer, warm and sunny. But swimming will be cold no matter what time of year you go. And yes, it is far. But it is beautiful and wild. Worth it in my opinion.
I think that the difficulties related to swimming in/near Tofino might be a deal breaker since the six year old still talks fondly about Ruby Lake. I'll keep it in mind, though, and I thank you for your thoughts on Tofino.